Wilber Duck Chevrolet Dealership facelift won't interrupt service

CAITLIN TRAYNOR

Published
12:00 am EDT, Friday, April 6, 2012

Dispatch Staff Photo by JOHN HAEGER (Twitter.com/OneidaPhoto)Frank Duck and Biff Wilber hold a rendering of their future building in front of the current building on Thursday, March 29, 2012 in Oneida.

Dispatch Staff Photo by JOHN HAEGER (Twitter.com/OneidaPhoto)Frank Duck and Biff Wilber hold a rendering of their future building in front of the current building on Thursday, March 29, 2012 in Oneida.

Image
1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Dispatch Staff Photo by JOHN HAEGER (Twitter.com/OneidaPhoto)Frank Duck and Biff Wilber hold a rendering of their future building in front of the current building on Thursday, March 29, 2012 in Oneida.

Dispatch Staff Photo by JOHN HAEGER (Twitter.com/OneidaPhoto)Frank Duck and Biff Wilber hold a rendering of their future building in front of the current building on Thursday, March 29, 2012 in Oneida.

Wilber Duck Chevrolet Dealership facelift won't interrupt service

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

ONEIDA -- The appearance of the Wilber Duck Chevrolet Dealership will change this year but its exceptional service won't, Co-Owner Frank Duck says.

Construction will start in May to completely tear down the existing building on Broad Street, with the exception of the service department. A brand new dealership will be built in its place.

"It's going to look like Manhattan," Duck said, smiling.

The face of the new building will be covered with windows and its entrance will be marked with a towering blue frame proudly marking it as a Chevrolet dealership. The business's existing square footage will be maintained in the new building, Duck said. Once renovations are done to the front half of the building, the service department will be completely re-made.

General Motors will dictate the design of the new building; renovating the business' space was a requirement of the car manufacturer, Duck said. Besides the demand that their dealerships "sell cars" and provide "great service," he said General Motors also wants a trademark look so all dealerships look the same.

Without volunteering any specifics on cost, Duck said construction will come with a hefty price tag.

"It's a lot," he said. "You can put that in capital letters."

Construction is slated for May and is anticipated to be finished by fall. Business will keep going though, even without a building, Duck said. Tents and trailers will be setup off to the side of the construction site to continue serving customers.

"Nothing will be interrupted at all," he said.

Last week the Common Council approved a request from the dealership to encroach on a portion of the sidewalk directly in front of the existing building. A space planned to be 30 feet wide and two-and-a-half feet deep will be taken up by the new entrance. Duck says their building plans will be presented to the city's planning board next month.

Duck expects the new building to have a "huge benefit on the community." He anticipates that the number of people the revamped dealership will draw into the area to be a "great asset for the community."

"We're really glad we can have it here," he said.

The dealership, owned by Duck and Craig "Biff" Wilber, took over McCarthy Chevrolet more than 13 years ago. Since then, the dealership has grown to employ nearly 25 workers with 200-350 cars on its lot with a yearly sale of about 1,000 cars, Duck said.

Good service and good employees have been key in their success, particularly in an economy that many other dealerships haven't been able to weather, Duck said.

Today's Top Insider StoriesOur journalists provide in-depth analysis and reporting about the people, places and issues that matter most to you. Subscribers get access to all of their comprehensive coverage.Stories from Insider